Head judge Shirley Ballas has shared her thoughts after Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe were confirmed as the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing. The announcement, revealed yesterday, comes following the departures of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who hosted their final series last year.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Shirley, 65, admitted the triple-host reveal even surprised her. “I met Josh for the first time this week — he’s a charming chap,” she said. “Emma, of course, I know from Cooking With The Stars — a seasoned presenter and just a gorgeous lady. And who doesn’t love some Johannes? We all love him. It’s going to be interesting because we thought we were getting two but we ended up with three.”
Shirley also confirmed that five new professional dancers will join the line-up following a major cull, which saw the likes of Nadiya Bychkova and Karen Hauer exit. “Some fantastic dancers are coming in. All in all, it’s having tweaks left, right, and centre — it’s getting a new face!” she said.
On the chemistry between the new hosts, Shirley added: “I’m told Emma and Josh’s chemistry is off the charts. So let’s see.”
Outside the dance floor, Shirley has been promoting tech confidence alongside her 88-year-old mother, Audrey, for Abbott’s One Step Ahead campaign. She stressed the importance of being comfortable with technology, sharing her own experience of nearly missing crucial breast biopsy and histopathology results due to tech challenges. “We can’t be frightened of technology anymore; it isn’t going anywhere,” she said.
With a refreshed line-up of hosts and dancers, Shirley is confident viewers will enjoy the new series while she continues to balance her judging role with advocacy work.
